poptones writes: A recent article at Martindale.com, that summarises a recent GAO report conducted as arequirement of the PRO-IP act, seems to reinforce the argument that "industry estimates"(and even "government estimates") of damages caused by intellectual property piracy maywell be both baseless and overblown. The summary (and, apparently, the report) points outthe many difficulties in even attempting to quantify the effects of piracy on the marketplacein anything resembling an objective manner. Among the many notable quotations:

"The GAO gave three examples of widely cited piracy estimates that could not be substantiated: 1) an FBIestimate that U.S. businesses lose $200-$250 billion annually... a 2002 CBP press release that estimatedthat U.S. businesses lose $200 billion a year in revenue and 750,000 jobs... and 3) a Motor and EquipmentManufacturers Associated report of an estimate that the U.S. automotive parts industry has lost $3 billion insales... due to counterfeit goods"

A 3 1/2 page pdf that's well worth the read; very interesting to see this sort of discussion appearing in legal print.